Halloween Safety

Review the basics with your kids

Make sure your kids understand and agree to some basics:

• Make a plan for which streets you’ll be visiting and try to include streets your kids are familiar with
• Only visit homes with a porch light on and a well-lit path
• Never enter a home or car for a treat
• Be sure you and your kids stay together as a group and walk single-file on sidewalks
• Make sure your kids don't go out on an emptry stomach to discourage filling up on candy
• Sort and check all candy at home, discarding unwrapped or unfamiliar items

Check for costume safety

Whether you’re creating a costume or buying one, there are easy ways to stay safe:

• Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and try to choose light colors
• Choose face paint and makeup instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
• Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers
• Make sure kids are wearing comfortable shoes and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping.

Teach street safety

Make Halloween a teachable moment for kids to learn about their built environment and build smart sense on streets:

• Always cross the streets at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Remember the old rule: Look left, right, and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.
• Adults and kids should not be using phones or electronic devices while outside. Devices down and heads up.
• Teach kids to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
• Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach kids to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.

Prepare your home for visitors

• Remove tripping hazards and items that are hard to see at night
• Check outdoor lights and replace any burned-out bulbs
• Sweep wet leaves from sidewalks to prevent slipping.
• Restrain pets to keep them from jumping on trick-or-treaters

Drivers have an important role, too

If you’re driving on Halloween, you can help keep trick-or-treaters safe by being extra cautious.

• Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods.
• Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians, and on curbs.
• Popular trick-or-treating hours are sundown to 9 pm — be especially alert for kids during these hours.

Learn more at Safe Kids Worldwide and Healthy Children.